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Lance Armstrong representative offered USADA donation in 2004

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Lance Armstrong representative offered USADA donation in 2004

The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) tells "60 Minutes Sports" that a representative for Lance Armstrong offered the agency a "donation" in excess of US$150,000 several years before a USADA investigation led to Armstrong being stripped of seven Tour de France titles.

In an interview on the show's premiere airing on Showtime on Wednesday night, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he was "stunned" when he received the offer in 2004.

"It was a clear conflict of interest for USADA," Tygart said. "We had no hesitation in rejecting that offer."

Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman, denied such an offer was made.

"No truth to that story," Herman stated Tuesday. "First Lance heard of it was today. He never made any such contribution or suggestion."

Tygart was traveling and did not respond to requests for comment. USADA spokeswoman Annie Skinner said Tygart's comments from the interview were accurate. In it, he reiterates what he said last fall: That he was surprised when federal investigators abruptly shut down their two-year probe into Armstrong and his business dealings, then refused to share any of the evidence they had gathered.

"You'll have to ask the feds why they shut down (their two-year probe into Armstrong and his business dealings)," Tygart said and added "They enforce federal criminal laws. We enforce sports anti-doping violations. They're totally separate. We've done our job."